Berri Advises Saniora to Work in Lebanon's Interest despite Exchange of Accusations
Speaker Nabih Berri has said he advised al-Mustaqbal parliamentary bloc leader MP Fouad Saniora to disregard remarks made by officials outside Lebanon to preserve Lebanon.
Berri said in remarks published on Wednesday that he criticized Saniora on his latest speech, adding it did not fall in the interest of the dialogue between Hizbullah and al-Mustaqbal.
But the lawmaker reportedly responded by saying: “Haven't you heard the stances issued in Tehran?”
An adviser to Iranian President Hassan Rouhani, Ali Younesi, allegedly declared earlier this month a new Iranian empire, “whose capital is Baghdad.”
Al-Mustaqbal bloc in return blasted Hizbullah and its allies on Tuesday for turning a blind eye to the statement.
“These Iranian stances did not draw any response from Hizbullah or any of its allies, while it is supposed to be part of the Arab society,” said al-Mustaqbal, accusing the party of “putting its loyalty to Iran and its Velayat-e faqih (Tehran's form of Islamic rule) above the Lebanese interest and the Arab interest.”
Berri, according to his visitors, told Saniora in a telephone conversation that 104 Iranian lawmakers had objected to Younesi's alleged remarks.
“We should focus on local issues to preserve the country's interest,” the speaker added.
Tension between Hizbullah and al-Mustaqbal soared over the weekend when several Hizbullah officials criticized the March 14 alliance after the coalition strongly criticized what they called “the role of Iran and its proxies, topped by Hizbullah.”
March 14 also accused the party of implicating Lebanon in regional conflicts and seeking to prolong the presidential vacuum.
Despite the tension, the eighth round of dialogue between the two parties is set to take place under Berri's sponsorship in Ain el-Tineh on Wednesday.
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